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Part 3

"He never showed up that night. I never heard from him, or saw him again." Her voice was cold and unemotional now, quite different from a moment ago. He knew that must have hurt her so badly that she still carried the pain, all these years later.

She fumbled, with shaky hands, at the tag, and turned it to show him. He saw that it read, in faded ink, "To my Flyboy, Love Your Marine."

"You were a Marine?" he asked.

"Yes, I was a Marine. I have long since retired, but until now, I have not been able to leave this place I have called home for most of my life."

She turned again away from him and focused somewhere far away.

"This will be my last time I spend December 23rd here at this tree. After spending the last fourty years here, I have finally decided that it is time for me to leave. I have bought a small beach home in Florida, on the ocean, and on New Years Day, I will be moving down there."

He could feel all the different emotions this poor old woman was trying to hide. How she must have loved this man, to keep coming back for fourty years to the same place, and at the same time, carrying with her the same gift of unconditional love that she had planned to give him.

He gave a quick glance and wave at his son who was still playing with the other children, and turned back to the woman and said,"So, tonight is the last time you will be here?"

"No," she stated sadly. "I will come back and spend New Years Eve here. I will be here at midnight as the new year comes in, to say good-bye." With that said, one lone tear escaped her eyes. She quickly brushed it away and looked to the stars.

They sat there in silence for a while, each of them in their own thoughts.

The young man knew there was so much more to that story. He thought it the most intrigueing love story he had ever heard. He wondered just who this man had been. Where was he now, and why had he left this woman, whom obvisouly loved him dearly, and never contacted her again. Did this man know the pain that she carried with her all these years?

Finally, the young man pulled himself out of his thoughts and said, "Thank you for sharing your story with me."

She smiled at him. "You are welcome, and I thank you for listening to my story. I have never told anyone else."

With a sigh, she stood up and said,"Well, it is midnight now. I always leave at midnight. It was very nice to meet you."

She extended her hand, and shook his.

"Good-bye, ma'm."

He watched her as she walked. When she reached the tree, she stopped, looked up into the sky and said something he could not hear, and then bent down and placed the gift under the tree.

He thought to himself, she is really saying good-bye now with the placement of that special gift under the tree. He could feel the sadness she must be feeling.

She stood there for just a moment longer, and she turned and left.

She had touched his heart so, and he knew that the gift was so special that he couldnt just leave it there. It would mean nothing to someone else, but it had been a part of this old womans life for fourty years, and after hearing her story he felt somehow connected to this gift of unconditional love.

When he was sure she was gone, he walked over to the tree. He picked up the gift and could almost feel the love and energy radiating through it. He would never open it, he thought to himself. It meant so much just the way it was.

He held it tenderly in his hands, feeling as though he now possessed something very special, and went and gathered his son and headed home.

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The Young Man's Grandfathers House Richmond, VA 2:00pm December 25, 2044

"Are we almost to grandpa's house yet?" the young boy asked his dad for the 3rd time during the 2 hour drive.

"Yes, son. Just another 10 minutes or so." his dad replied.

Soon they were pulling into the young man's grandfathers house. It was located on a couple acres just outside of town. His grandfather had lived there for the last 20 years and the young man had great childhood memories of spending time here with his grandpa. There were woods and a stream and enough adventures to have to keep a boy occupied all day.

As soon as they pulled in, the young boy bounded from the car to run to his great-grandpa. His dad laughed at him as he gathered the gifts to bring in. He paused for a moment and looked at one of the gifts he had brought. The young man had brought with him the gift the old woman had left at the tree two nights earlier. He was still intrigued by her story and planned to share it with his grandfather.

After the gifts had been opened, and the Christmas dinner had been eaten, the young boy ran outside to play. The grandfather and the young man settled down in the living room to relax and visit.

"You know, grandpa, two nights ago, I met the most amazing old woman at The National Christmas Tree." the young man started.

His grandfather looked at him and said,"Oh really? What was so amazing about her?"

He was wrongly assuming the young man was trying to set him up with an old woman. As a boy, his grandson had always longed for a grandma, and still felt that his grandfather shouldnt have spent most of his life alone.

"She had this story, grandpa, that just intrigued me. There was something about her. I cant explain what it was."

"Please share her story with me," the grandfather pleaded.

"She told me that she had come to the tree every December 23rd, at 11pm, for the last fourty years. She carried with her an old, worn, wrapped Christmas gift. She said she had meant to give it to her best friend on that night fourty years ago. She kept rubbing the sides of the gift with her thumb. From all the years of her doing that the wrapping is worn on the sides."

The grandfather sat up straighter in his chair, his eyes were wide and seemed disbelieving. The young man saw the reaction on his grandfathers face.

"Interesting story isnt it? But there's more. She said her best friend had never shown up that night, and she had never heard from or saw him again so she was never able to give him her gift. I asked her what the gift was, and she said 'uncondtional love'."

The young man watched as his grandfather got up off his chair, and walked over to the window. He just stared outside for a moment and turned to his grandson with a faraway and confused look in his eyes.

"What did the gift look like?"

"I actually have the gift, grandpa. See, she said that night that I met her was going to be her last December 23rd spent at the tree. She is moving on New Year's Day to Florida to a beach house she bought. At midnight when she left, she walked over to the tree, and placed the gift under it. I assume she left it with a sad heart for the man she never saw again. I was so moved by the woman that after she left, I went and took the gift."

"Do...do you have the gift with you?" his grandfather stammered.

The young man was surprised, but happy that his grandfather seemed just as intrigued with the story as he had been.

"Yes, I brought it here to show you."

The young man went and got the old gift out of his bag and brought it to his grandfather, who was still standing by the window.

The grandfather, with shaking hands, took the gift from the young man. His old fingers traced the edges of the gift that had been worn down by the old womans thumbs.

The young man watched as his grandfather just held the gift, staring at it for what seemed like hours. Finally, the grandfather lifted up the tag and read it. "To my Flyboy, Love Your Marine."